Johannson repeats at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Emma Johansson (Hitec Products-Uck) netted her second consecutive win in the women's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad as the Swedish champion outkicked her four breakaway companions in Ghent.

"The team worked well for me. I was confident that I could win the sprint and I'm very happy with this win," Johansson said.

Johansson initiated the decisive move, attacking solo with 62km to the finish.

"On the Côte de Trieux I accelerated to make the race hard," Johansson told Cyclingnews. For a while she led the race on her own. "It was much too far to go the distance. I attacked because I didn't want to arrive in Ghent with a big group."

First Elisa Longo Borghini (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) and Lucinda Brand (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) bridged up to Johansson, followed by Belgian rider Grace Verbeke (Topsport Vlaanderen 2012-Ridley). Eventually a group of three with Chantal Blaak (AA Drink-Leontien.nl), Loes Gunnewijk (Nederland Bloeit) and Andrea Bosman (SRAM-WV Eemland) bridged up as well, creating a lead group of seven.

Verbeke crashed out of the front group on the cobbles of Mater when her handlebars broke. In the race finale Brand and Bosman were dropped, with Bosman managing to return. Longo Borghini couldn't keep up with the pace, too, and ended up chasing the four remaining leaders at about 50 seconds in the final 10 kilometres.

In front the leaders were looking at each other and the pace slowed dramatically resulting in Longo Borghini re-joining the leaders in the final three kilometres.

A late acceleration from Johannsson on the last cobbles near Ghent created no gaps. Bosman started the sprint from far out and Johansson was the only rider who managed to overtake the Dutch rider, once again grabbing the flowers in Ghent.

"I started the sprint from way too far. Everybody in the group knew that Emma was the strongest but there wasn't much we could do," Bosman told Cyclingnews.

Third-placed Blaak said she was surprised by the early start from Bosman. Gunnewijk was fourth ahead of Longo Borghini who rolled across the line four seconds later.

With a late solo attempt Verbeke tried to solo towards a sixth place finish but eventually she finished at the back of the first chasing group 1:40 behind winner Johansson.